


Runaway girl

by SilentRain91



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alex & Maggie & Kara are on a road trip, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Kara is her alien self but she's not Supergirl, Karlena - centric, Lena runs away from home, Some Fluff, Summer Vacation, established Sanvers relationship, finished fic, teenager!Kara, teenager!Lena, they find Lena in the middle of the night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 06:30:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8879548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentRain91/pseuds/SilentRain91
Summary: Lena is seventeen when she can't stand living with the Luthors anymore, so she runs away. It's the middle of the night when Alex is driving to a motel and Kara urges her to stop the car, claiming there is someone on the side of the road. Alex doesn't fancy the idea of letting someone hitchhike with them, but Maggie convinces her. Road trip AU





	1. Chapter 1

Lena couldn’t take it anymore, not even for another second, to stay in this house. It wouldn’t make a difference if she would just pack and leave, given she was adopted anyway and her mother never allowed her to forget that. She had been counting down the days until she would turn eighteen so she can be out in the world on her own and even though she’s only a month shy from being eighteen, she can’t stand to be here anymore. So she packs a few clothes in her backpack, it isn’t much, but it’s something and then she runs, out on the street with no particular direction in mind.

It doesn’t matter to her where she goes, as long as it’s far away from here, far away from the family that’s not hers. She had a family, once, when she was a toddler, but she lost them and at age four the Luthors adopted her. Life with the Luthors felt like living in a prison and after the stunt Lex pulled it only got worse. It was disappointing because she used to think he was better than that, but it turns out that he wasn’t.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“You can pout all you want but I’m not going to let you drive,” Alex says sternly, not planning to budge. “My car is my baby,” she points out once again.

“Fine,” Kara huffs, leaning back onto her seat and crossing her arms over her chest. “At some point you’re going to get tired you know.”

“If I get tired we can stop at a motel or something,” Alex replies, since she’s really not going to let Kara drive her car. She worked hard to get this car, even helped to get everything on it working. Her car is red and the roof is pulled back, so they can enjoy the wind in their hair.

“It’s getting dark,” Kara comments, noticing how it’s not that light outside anymore. “We’re not even near a motel.”

Maggie chuckles and leans forward, settling her elbows between Alex and Kara. “It’s pointless, Kara,” she says, knowing Alex well enough. It would be weird if she wouldn’t know her girlfriend that well because they’ve been together since they were sixteen and now they’re sort of on a road trip since Alex turned twenty-one recently.

“I learned how to drive a year ago,” Kara points out, not agreeing with the cruelty of Alex not letting her drive at least once. “I’m seventeen I know what I’m doing.”

“Your age is irrelevant,” Alex replies.

“Give it up, Danvers junior,” Maggie says teasingly to Kara. “Alex won’t even let me drive and I’ve been dating her for the last five years.”

“But I’ve been her sister for years,” Kara retorts. “I used to share my desserts with her.”

“Share?” Alex scoffs. “You always ate mine.”

Kara unbuckles her seatbelt and clambers over the seat to sit in the back.

Maggie laughs lightly and takes this opportunity to take the seat next to Alex.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Alex, slow down!” Kara shouts suddenly.

“What the hell, Kara!?” Alex replies, shouting as she slows down a bit. “We’re only five miles away from a motel,” she says, nodding her head towards a sign next to the road that says so.

“I see something,” Kara explains as she points her index finger in the distance. It’s dark, but if she squints her eyes a bit, there’s definitely something there, or rather, someone. “There is a person over there, walking next to the road.”

As Alex keeps driving slowly, she’s nearing the person Kara is referring to. “It’s the middle of the night,” she says dryly. “Maybe it’s a drunken person or some type of hitchhiker.”

Kara watches how the person slumps down. “Stop the car,” she says softly. “Alex, stop the car,” she says with a stronger tone when her sister doesn’t listen immediately.

Alex sighs and pulls her car to the side, stopping it. “Don’t do it, Kara,” she says, disagreeing as her sister hops out of her car. “Stranger danger is an actual thing.”

Kara doesn’t listen and runs, hearing how Alex and Maggie jump out the car as well to chase after her. She keeps going until she reaches the person and when she’s up close, she sees that it’s just a girl. “Hey,” she says, kneeling down. “Are you okay?”

Lena slowly looks up, surprised that someone is actually talking to her. “Hi,” she replies shortly while she wraps her arms tightly around herself. It’s been getting cold, a bit too cold and she has been walking for hours, which makes her feel exhausted.

“You’re shivering,” Kara says, concerned. She takes her jacket off and slings it around the girl’s shoulders. “I’m Kara, what’s your name?”

Lena’s mouth is agape, shocked that a stranger gave her a jacket because she’s cold, which is by far the kindest thing anyone has done for her in thirteen years. She swallows nervously when she sees two older girls showing up behind Kara. “I’m Lena,” she answers a bit hoarsely.

“Why are you out here by yourself in the middle of the night?” Kara asks while she wonders how old the girl is. Lena looks younger than Alex and Maggie, and she guesses she’s around her age.

Lena can see the three girls are staring at her, questioningly and she would rather not say she ran away, because she’s worried they would call the police or something to bring her back. If she stays gone for a month, she will be eighteen and then she’ll officially be free. “I’m on a road trip,” she lies, hoping to sound believable. “But I got lost.”

“We’re on a road trip too,” Kara replies, breaking out into a smile. “That’s my sister, Alex,” she says while she points at Alex, realizing she hadn’t introduced them yet. “And that’s Maggie, my sister’s girlfriend.”

Lena nods at Alex and Maggie to acknowledge them, who give her a short nod as well.

“You could come with us,” Kara blurts out, offering. “Right, Alex?” she asks, turning to her sister. “Lena can come with us. We can’t leave her here by herself in the middle of the night, lost,” she says before Alex can even argue about it.

“We hardly know her, Kara,” Alex replies reasonably. Picking up a hitchhiker never seems like a very good idea since it’s unsure who exactly they’d be giving a ride. There’s a reason why stranger danger is a thing in the first place.

“It’s okay,” Lena says, understanding. She won’t blame these girls if they don’t trust her and Alex is right, they don’t know her, just like she doesn’t know them. “I don’t need a ride.”

“But you’re lost and cold,” Kara says, flailing her arms around, not believing her ears. “You look tired, the least we can do is give you a ride to the motel where we’re headed.”

Maggie nudges Alex’s side with her elbow and gives her a pointed look. “Come on,” she whispers in her girlfriend’s ear. “She’s just a kid we can’t leave her out here in the middle of the night.”

Alex sighs and rubs her temples, thinking about it. “Okay,” she whispers, relenting. “You can ride with us to the motel, Lena,” she offers the girl.

Lena has a feeling the girls won’t drop it, they won’t just leave without her, she can see it in their eyes. “Thank you,” she says gratefully as she stands up to follow them to their car.

Kara jumps onto the backseat and smiles at Lena when she sits down next to her. “It’s not far,” she says when Alex starts the car. “Only five miles and then we’ll be at the motel.” She can see that the girl is tired and she wonders how long Lena has been out here on her own.

Lena nods with a small smile and she decides to close her eyes for a bit, just for a few seconds.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Something is not right,” Alex whispers as she parks her car at the motel. “She looks too young to be on her own on a road trip.”

“Mhm,” Maggie hums quietly in agreement. “I think you’re thinking exactly what I’m thinking.”

“Yeah,” Alex sighs sadly while running a hand through her hair. “She’s a runner.” She grabs her wallet out of her pocket. “I’m going to arrange our rooms for the night.”

Kara gently caresses Lena’s cheek who is peacefully sleeping in the backseat of the car.

“She’s out like a light,” Maggie whispers. “Poor girl, she must have been really exhausted.”

“Kara, what are you doing?” Alex asks, keeping her voice low when she sees Kara slipping one hand behind Lena’s neck and the other underneath the girl’s knees.

“We can’t leave her in the car,” Kara answers, staring at Alex with wide eyes.

“As if it won’t look suspicious for you to carry her like that,” Alex points out, concern seeping into her voice. “Especially when you make it look so easy.” She wasn’t going to suggest they should leave Lena outside, no, she would have suggested waking her up.

“It’s the middle of the night,” Kara replies, defending herself. “Nobody is even around to see me carrying her and I’ll be quick.” She stops breathing for a split second when Lena seems to nuzzle closer against her, but thankfully the girl continues to sleep and doesn’t open her eyes.

“Let’s just go inside already,” Maggie whispers.

“I’ll go pay for three rooms,” Alex whispers as they approach the motel.

“Three?” Kara asks, keeping her voice low. “Two is enough.”

Alex stops in her tracks and spins around on the ball of her foot. “No way,” she whispers sternly, hearing where Kara is going with this. “For all we know she might try to stab you while you sleep.”

Maggie chuckles lightly at that and tries to stop when Alex glares at her. “You should hear yourself, Danvers,” she whispers amusingly. “Even if Lena would try that it won’t work.” It would be quite ridiculous for someone to try and stab Kara while she’s an indestructible alien. “Besides, she doesn’t look like a serial killer or anything.”

“Okay, whatever,” Alex grumbles quietly. “You’ll be responsible for her, Kara,” she whispers warningly. “If anything goes wrong, I’ll be the first to tell you I told you so.”

Kara waits outside with Lena in her arms while Alex and Maggie are inside to get the rooms. She looks up at the windows, waiting, and when her sister opens one, she flies up to slowly enter the room.

“Here’s the key,” Alex whispers, putting a key down on the night stand next to the double bed. “Maggie and I will be in the room next to this one.”

Kara gently places Lena down on the bed and tucks her in. She would get the girl a pajama, but she doesn’t want to freak Lena out by undressing her. It could send the wrong idea, so it’s better to just let the girl sleep in her clothes. She locks the door and takes her time to put her pajamas on. It’s really just black sweatpants and an oversized grey shirt with her school logo on it.

With a silent exhale, she slips under the covers, glancing briefly at Lena who is still fast asleep. Maybe Alex and Maggie are right about the girl, because it’s possible that Lena ran away rather than being on a road trip. It does look suspicious how the girl only has a backpack on her with a few clothes and it’s odd that Lena said she’s lost since she doesn’t even seem to have a map.

She stiffens when the girl moves around and before she can back away, which actually would cause her to fall out of the bed, Lena’s arm falls over her chest. Um okay, so maybe the girl is a cuddler and she’s not sure if she should push her away. When Lena huddles closer towards her, she tentatively wraps her arms around her.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena yawns a little when her eyes slowly open and she feels like she’s been sleeping forever. It’s been a long time since she ever woke up this refreshed. She vaguely remembers the car she got into with the three girls and how she had only meant to close her eyes for a few seconds, but now she appears to be in a bed.

“Good morning,” Kara whispers softly, smiling now that Lena finally woke up. “You slept a long time, I thought you were going to sleep through breakfast,” she muses, feeling glad the girl didn’t do that because she’s quite hungry.

Lena nearly jumps out of her skin at the sudden voice she didn’t expect and bangs her head against the headboard.

“Oh Rao,” Kara gasps while reaching out for Lena. “I’m so, so, so sorry!” she apologizes. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Lena winces as she rubs the back of her head and she has a feeling that will leave a bump. “It is okay, Kara,” she whispers, seeing how bad Kara feels. She had no idea that the kind girl who gave her a jacket in the middle of the night would be here right next to her, apparently in a bed. Looking down, she sighs in relief to see that she’s still wearing her clothes. “Did I… did we…?” she asks vaguely, noticing how Kara frowns. “Did we cuddle?”

“Well um… yes,” Kara answers honestly. “You were stirring in your sleep and you sort of… cuddled me,” she explains awkwardly. “So I… cuddled you back because I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to push you away or not. Sorry?”

“This is embarrassing,” Lena whispers, her cheeks flushing as she realizes she cuddled with Kara, who is very attractive. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,” she promises. “Not… not that I meant… not that I’m saying,” she stutters nervously, her cheeks reddening even more. “I wasn’t trying to imply we would sleep together again,” she says quickly. “The regular sleep, I mean, just sleep.”

Kara smiles, thinking how adorable Lena is when she’s all flustered like this. “Cuddling is nice,” she says earnestly. “I like it.” Okay usually she doesn’t cuddle a stranger, but this girl is different.

“How did I get here in this bed?” Lena asks curiously.

“I- we carried you,” Kara answers, mentally cursing for almost slipping up. “Maggie, Alex and I carried you.”

“I hope I wasn’t too heavy,” Lena says, grimacing a bit. She can feel she has a headache, thanks to banging her head all clumsily, but she never shared a bed with anyone before, so waking up with someone right next to her was quite the shock.

“Not at all, you’re like a feather,” Kara replies immediately, but she has to remember that would kind of give her away. “I mean, not a feather, you kind of weigh, I mean not in a heavy way, but in a regular way,” she gushes.

Lena smiles, noting how the tips of Kara’s ears tint pink.

“So erm,” Kara says, coughing awkwardly. “Breakfast?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

The silence would be deafening if it wasn’t for the sound of cutlery scraping over a plate.

Kara tries to chew her toast quietly, feeling the tension hanging in the air. At this point Alex has probably been staring at Lena for about five minutes without either of them saying a word. She wants to say something, but at the same time she doesn’t want to make this awkward.

“So,” Alex says as she folds her hands in front of her on the table. “How old are you, Lena?” she asks, raising one eyebrow.

Lena should have known they wouldn’t let her off the hook that easily. “Eighteen,” she answers, lying a bit.

“Okay,” Alex replies. “If I’d ask to see your ID it would confirm you’re eighteen?” she asks, not quite believing if Lena is telling the truth.

“No,” Lena sighs softly. “I’m almost eighteen,” she confesses, correcting herself.

“You said you’re on a road trip,” Alex recalls. “But you’re all by yourself and you hardly have anything on you,” she points out. She paid for breakfast while Lena refused to eat at first because she doesn’t have money on her. It’s very suspicious for someone so young to travel alone without money.

“Listen,” Maggie says softly while she reaches out to place her hand on top of Lena’s. “We know you ran away.” There’s no doubt that the girl is a runaway, since all the signs seem to be there.

“It’s summer,” Lena replies calmly, keeping herself together. “I wanted to travel.”

“We know you’re lying,” Alex says with a serious tone. “You should tell us the truth.”

“Leave her alone,” Kara snaps, putting her cutlery down.

“I can’t go back home,” Lena whispers, turning her eyes away from them. “You can go your way and I’ll go mine,” she says, clearing her throat. “I’ll be out of your hair.”

“Your family could be worried sick,” Alex tries. “I can give you a ride,” she offers, wanting to get Lena home safely.

“They’re not my family,” Lena says coldly. “I’m technically an orphan.”

“You could stay with us,” Kara offers, ignoring the shocked look on Alex’s face. “If you’re eighteen soon, then you can be on your own soon,” she reasons, “Until then you could stay with us.”

“Kara!” Alex shouts with a reprimanding tone in her voice. “The people she ran away from, or place, could report this to the police.”

“Don’t fight with each other,” Lena says softly. “Please, don’t,” she pleads, not wanting to mess up their dynamic because of her. “I’ll go.”

“No,” Kara replies abruptly, grasping Lena’s wrist so she can’t leave. “Alex, please,” she whispers.

“Fine,” Alex gives in. “Lena can stay with us, but if at any point the police takes her then there’s nothing I can do,” she warns, letting that be clear.

Lena is stunned that they seriously intend to keep her around without turning her over or urging her to go back to where she came from. They’ve already done so much for her by giving her a ride, paying for a room so she was able to sleep and then this breakfast they paid for her.

Kara beams happily and hugs Lena, who feels frozen.

Lena hasn’t had a hug ever since she lost her real family, because the Luthors don’t hug, they don’t give affection. She pushes her surprise away and slowly brings her arms up to hug Kara back.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Give it,” Maggie grumbles as she leans over the seat, stretching her hand out in Kara’s direction. “Danvers junior, hand me that bag of chips right now or I’ll climb in there to push you out of the car.”

Kara’s jaw drops slightly, but she quickly closes it again and reluctantly hands Maggie the bag of chips. Her sister’s girlfriend never jokes about a threat, which is not fair because she was enjoying those chips very much.

“Unbelievable,” Alex mutters, tapping the wheel as she keeps her eyes trained on the road. “When I asked for some chips ten minutes ago I didn’t get anything.”

“You know that saying ‘hand me the chips’ doesn’t do the trick,” Maggie says truthfully. “Instead you should have gone with ‘hand me the chips or I am not buying you dinner tonight’,” she suggests helpfully.

“Alex, your girlfriend is bullying me again,” Kara comments with a playful tone. “And she stole my chips.”

“Is it always like this?” Lena asks curiously. She had been silent for a while, but now her curiosity is getting the best of her. “The way you interact, I mean,” she clarifies.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Kara answers. “They always try to steal my food.”

“I bought that bag of chips for the four of us, Kara,” Alex says grumpily, still waiting to get some chips.

“Lena didn’t want any,” Kara retorts, since she asked and Lena had declined. “I was simply eating her quarter and mine.”

“Hah,” Maggie half-laughs. “Right, that’s why you ate more than half of the chips, huh?”

“You should both shut up,” Alex mutters. “At least you got some chips. I didn’t get a single one.”

“Not with that attitude you won’t,” Maggie teases. She grabs a chip and holds it out in front of Alex’s mouth so she can eat it.

“That’s better,” Alex says approvingly after swallowing it down. She waits and hears the crunching sound of chips in Maggie’s mouth. “I didn’t say you could stop, Sawyer.”

“Are you thirsty?” Kara asks Lena while she rummages through the plastic bag on her lap to grab a bottle of water.

“A little bit,” Lena answers, accepting the bottle of water from Kara. “Thank you.”

“If you could travel anywhere you wanted to, where would you go?” Kara asks Lena curiously. “Like if anything was possible.”

“Probably an island,” Lena answers thoughtfully. “Somewhere where it’s peaceful and silent.” She gulps from the water and then hands it back to Kara.

“That sounds nice,” Kara hums, trying to picture it. “We’re going to stop at a beach at some point,” she says, remembering how Alex mentioned they would a few days ago. “I know it’s not an island, but maybe you’ll like it.”

“I’ve never been,” Lena admits sadly. She spent the majority of her life indoors or at a boarding school, since the Luthors never really took her anywhere and they were strict.

“You’ve never been to the beach?” Kara asks, shocked. Going to the beach was one of the first things she did when she arrived on earth. Alex took her there a lot so they could have fun in the water together and build sand castles.

“No,” Lena confirms, a bit ashamed.

“That’s going to change,” Maggie says, speaking up. She turns around on her seat to look at Lena. “We will get you some type of bathing suit once we’re there.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Lena replies. “Really, all of you have already done so much for me,” she says, not wanting to take advantage of their kindness. “I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Oh, that’s an easy issue to fix,” Alex says lightly. “Don’t repay us.”

“There must be something,” Lena tries, disagreeing to just let them do so much without giving anything in return. “I want to repay you.”

“You could be our friend,” Kara suggests. “Money can’t buy friends.”

Lena is baffled to hear that Kara wants to be friends and that Alex and Maggie are humming in agreement. They seem to be clueless about how much they are doing for her, because she didn’t have any friends and now suddenly she has three without even trying.

Kara is confused when tears escape from Lena’s eyes. Unsure what to say, she pulls the girl into a hug and strokes her hair. She didn’t mean to say something that would upset Lena, but apparently she did.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Maggie whistles when Alex walks by her, wearing a black bikini. “Looking good, Danvers,” she says approvingly, checking her girlfriend out.

“Watch where you drool, Sawyer,” Alex replies, smiling at Maggie. She bites her bottom lip when her girlfriend pulls her shirt over her head, revealing her own black bikini.

“You were saying?” Maggie teases.

“Shut up and kiss me,” Alex mumbles as she draws Maggie close to herself.

“Mhm,” Maggie hums against Alex’s lips. “Gladly.”

Kara chuckles and peels her gaze away from Alex and Maggie, settling it on Lena instead. She forgets to breathe, seeing the girl in a black bikini which is a strong contrast with Lena’s pale skin. Oh Rao, the girl is absolutely gorgeous and it’s impossible not to stare.

Lena catches Kara’s eyes on her and blushes slightly. She looks down to see if something is wrong with her bikini, unsure if the youngest Danvers was checking her out. Maybe it’s because she’s so pale and it might look a bit unnatural. It’s a hot day, which could get her sunburned.

Kara unbuttons her jeans and shimmies out of them, folding them neatly and putting them aside on her towel. She grasps the hem of her shirt and lifts it above her head, discarding it on top of her jeans, leaving herself in her blue bikini.

“Wow,” Lena quietly breathes out as her jaw goes slack. She had already been able to see that Kara looked fit, but damn, she didn’t know the girl is _that_ muscled.

Kara’s sensitive ears picked up on Lena’s reaction and she has to look away because she’s blushing badly.

Alex digs some sunscreen out of her bag and hands it to Maggie while tossing the other bottle to Kara.

Kara catches the bottle easily and she can tell it’s meant for Lena, since personally she doesn’t need sunscreen. “I could um,” she says nervously as she walks up to the girl, waving the bottle around to make her point. “If you want to I can put sunscreen on your back,” she offers, aware that Lena won’t be able to do that by herself.

“Yes, please,” Lena replies politely. “I burn easily.”

“If you just…,” Kara says, gesturing towards the sand.

Lena nods and kneels down, placing herself down on her stomach on the sand so Kara can apply the sunscreen onto her back. She can feel the heat of the sun, burning through her sensitive skin.

Kara isn’t so sure if she should straddle Lena, like Maggie is doing with Alex, and she decides it’s probably best not to, so she just kneels down next to the girl. “This is going to be cold,” she says, giving a fair warning as she squeezes sunscreen onto the palm of her right hand. She glances at Maggie to copy her moves somewhat and rubs the sunscreen together in her hands to warm it up a little bit.

Lena lets out a relieved breath at the cool touch of the sunscreen on her skin. Kara’s hands feel soft and she can feel that the girl is being gentle. Yesterday when she ran away, she had no idea she would end up with three sweet girls who continue to show her kindness. In the middle of the night when she was walking next to that road, she had been beyond tired and slumped down with the intention to rest a bit. At that point she had already been walking for hours without anything to eat or drink and it had gotten a bit too cold.

Kara carefully massages the sunscreen onto Lena’s shoulders, feeling how much tension there is in the girl’s muscles. She can hear Lena groan, but not in a bad way, in a way that tells her she had needed this.

Lena wonders if luck turned and is suddenly on her side, or at least it feels that way ever since Kara knelt in front of her last night. The girl’s concern towards her is heartwarming and pure. It’s the first time she meets such a gentle soul and she can’t help but feel like she doesn’t deserve such kindness.

“Done,” Kara chirps, retrieving her hands. “I can do your legs as well, if you want to.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Lena replies, dismissing that offer. She sits up and looks at Kara, who is smiling at her. “I will do your back,” she says, reaching out for the bottle.

Kara wants to tell Lena that she doesn’t need sunscreen, but she doesn’t want to disappoint her and she can see that the girl just wants to return the favor. “Okay,” she says, nodding a little as she moves to lie down.

Lena feels like the easiest way would be to straddle Kara, but she can’t do that since the girl didn’t do that with her either and she doesn’t want to be inappropriate. As she squeezes some sunscreen onto the palm of her hand and brings her hands to Kara’s skin, she realizes she’ll be touching the girl’s muscular shoulders.

Kara hears Lena swallowing hard and she would ask her if something is wrong, but that would be suspicious. She can feel the girl’s hands shaking a bit against her skin, as if Lena is afraid to properly apply the sunscreen.

Alex frowns when she sees Lena applying sunscreen onto Kara’s back. Shaking her head, she decides not to comment on it.

“Aww, sweet,” Maggie whispers, smiling. “It looks like Kara doesn’t need to be worried about third wheeling us.”

“That’s my little sister you’re talking about,” Alex whispers in response. “I suppose it is nice Kara has a friend to spend time with now,” she reasons, thinking that now she can get more privacy with Maggie.

Maggie chuckles and wraps her arms around Alex’s waist. “Sometimes you’re so oblivious,” she whispers lovingly.

A soft moan escapes Lena when Kara’s muscles flex under her touch. Deeply ashamed that she moaned and hoping the girl didn’t hear her, she stumbles back. “All done,” she says quickly.

Kara bites her bottom lip and composes herself before facing Lena, having the grace not to mention the moan she heard, instead choosing to pretend she didn’t hear anything. “Thank you,” she replies gratefully.

Lena relaxes when it sinks in that Kara mustn’t have heard her. She needs to keep herself together rather than staring at the girl so much.

Kara shrieks as she runs into the water. “You should come in!” she shouts, waving at Lena, Alex and Maggie. “The water feels great!”

Lena hesitates for a moment, but seeing the enthusiastic smile on Kara’s face makes her run up to the water. She squeals when water is being splashed at her. “Kara!” she screeches while holding her hands out in front of her, as if to shield off some water.

“There are four of us here,” Maggie says as she wades into the water with Alex. “We could play chicken fight.”

“Chicken fight?” Lena asks, confused. “What’s tha-Kara!”

Kara smiles bashfully as she rests her hands on Lena’s thighs.

Lena wonders how Kara managed to pick her up on her shoulders so easily, but before she can ask, she sees Alex placing Maggie on her shoulders.

“Looks like it’s you against me,” Maggie says to Lena. “This game is really easy,” she explains briefly. “We have to push each other and the first one to fall loses.”

Lena isn’t so sure if she wants to push Maggie, or any of them for that matter. She doesn’t get much time to think about it because suddenly Maggie is pushing her.

Alex glares at Kara, clearly seeing how her sister is holding on to Lena more than she should, which is cheating. Each time she plays this game with Kara, she ends up losing. She wonders how long it will take for the girl’s thighs to bruise if her sister keeps holding on to her so strongly while Maggie tries to push her into the water.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Mhm smoothies,” Kara says happily while Alex buys them smoothies. “Just the refresher I needed.”

“It’s good,” Lena says after taking a sip.

Oh Rao, Kara thinks as she looks at Lena’s thighs. “I’m sorry,” she apologizes, eyes wide. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Lena follows Kara’s gaze, which lands on the purple marks on her thighs. “It is fine,” she assures the girl. “It was a game and I suppose this is a part of it.”

“I shouldn’t have squeezed so hard,” Kara replies, feeling bad about it.

“We won,” Lena points out with a small smile. She hardly feels the bruises and eventually they’ll fade away. “I’ve been having a good time.”

“Beginner’s luck,” Alex says dryly. If Kara hadn’t cheated then she and Maggie would have won. Her sister deserves to feel a bit bad about the bruises on Lena’s thighs, that’s what she gets for cheating.

“It’ll be dark in a few hours,” Maggie says, seeing how the sky is already becoming less bright than it was. “We should head out and figure out where we’ll sleep tonight.”

“Yeah, we should,” Alex agrees. Last night it got too late, but on the bright side if they hadn’t been so late they wouldn’t have found Lena and she doesn’t want to think about who would have found the girl if they hadn’t.

“I vote for a hotel with room service,” Kara says, grinning. “Have you ever had room service, Lena?” she asks the girl, who immediately shakes her head. “It’s amazing, you just pick up the phone in the room, tell them which food you want and they bring it!”

“It’s a shame I can’t pick up that phone to ask them to ship you home,” Alex comments teasingly to Kara.

Kara huffs while Alex, Maggie and Lena chuckle. It’s not her fault that she’s hungry often and that she happens to like food a lot. They should definitely go to a hotel with room service, not just for her, but for Lena so she can experience it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena is sitting on the bed, wearing black pajama pants with white bunnies on them and a matching top which Kara is letting her borrow. The room is warm, the bed is comfortable and the sheets are soft. This bed can easily fit three people properly, that’s how big it is. She leans her back against the headboard of the bed and pulls her knees up under her chin, crying quietly. Right now Kara is in the bathroom anyway, so she’s alone and can let her tears fall. She doesn’t regret running away and she’s not planning to regret it, since it was one of the best decisions she ever made for herself. It’s just that it hurts, knowing that she doesn’t have a warm loving family.

Alex, Maggie and Kara have shown her more affection in the eighteen hours or so she’s been with them since they plucked her off of the side of the road than the Luthors gave her in the thirteen years she was with them. The three of them seem to have such a tight bond with each other, which warms her heart, to know it exists, that it’s possible. She lets her tears spill, having been holding them in for too long.

“Hey,” Kara whispers silently, sitting down next to Lena. She had been in the bathroom when she suddenly heard her weep, which concerned her. “Come here,” she says, drawing the girl into her arms.

This is all new for Lena, to have someone offer her comfort like this and she’s speechless when Kara wipes her tears away. Crying is rare for her, usually when she cried, she got told not to because it was seen as weak. She slumps into the girl’s arms, soothed by her voice as Kara sings what sounds like a lullaby in a foreign language.

Kara can hear Lena’s breaths evening out as she sings the Kryptonian lullaby her mother used to sing to her to soothe her when she was younger. It helps her when she’s upset or distressed and she’s happy that it seems to help the girl as well.

Lena closes her eyes, basking in the sweet melody of Kara’s voice and the way her fingers stroke her hair ever so gently. She carries darkness and cold with her in her heart, while this girl is a ray of sunshine, touching her heart and warming it up.

Kara sings the lullaby three times out of concern that Lena would break down if she’d stop too soon. When the girl pulls away a bit and looks at her, she smiles friendly and automatically tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear, causing her to blush.

“You’re special, Kara,” Lena whispers admiringly. She leans in and presses a kiss to Kara’s cheek, hoping she’s not overstepping.

Kara’s cheeks turn scarlet as she brings a hand up to her cheek where Lena just kissed her. “So are you, special I mean, and beautiful,” she stammers shyly.

Lena matches Kara’s blush with her own.

Kara quickly leans in and kisses Lena’s cheek, and then she backs away and covers her face with her hands.

Lena chuckles and places her hands on top of Kara’s, to slowly lower them together. “I really like your eyes,” she says, biting her bottom lip as her eyes drown in the girl’s blue pools.

Kara holds Lena’s hands in hers and leans her forehead against the girl’s. She stares deeply into Lena’s eyes, seeing tiny specks of yellow and grey in her green eyes. Her eyes flit down to the girl’s soft pink lips for a split second, but when she meets Lena’s eyes again, it’s clear that she’s been caught, given how her eyes are widened and her heart skipped a beat.

“Kara,” Lena whispers breathy. She frees her hands from Kara’s and brings them up to cup her cheeks. If she’s been reading this wrong then it’s going to be really embarrassing for her. “Can I kiss y-”

Kara cuts Lena’s question off by closing the gap between them, her lips lightly touching hers. She closes her eyes when the girl’s lips melt against hers and she can feel her kissing back.

Lena is the first to pull away, because she needs to breathe. “Wow,” she pants, amazed by the intensity behind Kara’s kiss.

Kara crawls under the covers and taps the spot next to her. “Would you like to cuddle?” she asks, still not entirely sure if Lena is actually a cuddler or if last night was a random occurrence.

“Yes,” Lena answers as she crawls under the covers next to Kara. She likes being close to her and she has a positive feeling about this girl.

Kara smiles when Lena nuzzles closer towards her. She’s happy that she noticed her on the side of the road last night and that she had urged Alex to stop the car. Sometimes things are meant to be and she believes that they were meant to meet each other. It was meant for their paths to cross with one another.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“It’s been a good day,” Maggie whispers as she clambers into bed next to Alex.

“It was,” Alex agrees. “This road trip has been a good decision.”

“There are still a lot of spots to visit,” Maggie replies. She has some sort of list with Alex about which places they definitely want to see during their road trip. “Kara has been smiling more since we picked Lena up.”

“Now that you mention it, she has,” Alex admits, having noticed that as well. “They’re the same age, so that makes it easier.”

“It’s a bit more than that, Danvers,” Maggie says, smiling because Alex is still oblivious.

“They just met last night,” Alex retorts, shaking her head.

“Some people click almost instantly,” Maggie muses, feeling like that’s possible and it’s something that happened when she and Alex first met. “There is some sort of spark between them. If you look closely, you can see it clearly.”

“Hmm, maybe,” Alex says, uncertain. “I wonder what must have been so bad for Lena to run away,” she continues, sharing her thoughts.

“It is better not to ask,” Maggie suggests. “We wouldn’t want to overwhelm her and it could be a sore spot for her to talk about,” she says thoughtfully.

“I’m not going to ask her, silly,” Alex replies, laughing lightly and pushing Maggie at the same time. “I’m just wondering, that’s all.”

“Are you still planning to head to Vegas?” Maggie asks curiously. She and Alex are old enough to enter the casinos, but Kara and Lena aren’t, and having to sneak in two people is tougher than one.

“Unless you don’t want to,” Alex answers.

“We need to get Lena’s picture taken tomorrow,” Maggie says, needing that picture. “Once I have it, I can make her a fake ID as well.”

Alex knows Maggie already made a fake for Kara, but she’s worried they’d get caught if they would also have one for Lena. The security and such might notice that her sister and the girl don’t look old enough to appear as twenty-one. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” she says, concerned. “If we get caught, you’ll lose your job with the police and I know how badly you want to become a detective.”

“Don’t worry, I got it handled,” Maggie replies reassuringly. She recently got hired to join the police and once she has served three years, she can qualify for the detective exam. This is her last long vacation before she begins her career.

“If you say so,” Alex sighs, not fully confident yet that they’ll pull it off. “Just know that if you’re going down, I’m going down with you,” she says, since she won’t let Maggie take all the blame if they get caught.

“How about I go down first and then you go,” Maggie suggests seductively, wiggling her eyebrows a little. She kisses Alex’s neck and moves down to kiss her collarbone, while her hands rest on her sides.

“I can live with that,” Alex mumbles as she tangles her hands in Maggie’s hair.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena straightens her back and tries not to look too nervous as she waits for the flash in the photo booth. At first she didn’t want to have her picture taken, but Maggie convinced her that it would only be used once just so they can go to a casino. She’s never been to a casino, which she obviously couldn’t have since she’s not twenty-one.  When the flash is done and her picture is taken, she’s about to get up, but then Kara crawls into the photo booth with her.

“Picture time,” Kara says cheerfully as she squeezes herself next to Lena. “Do you mind?” she asks suddenly, realizing how rude she has been not to ask first.

“I… no,” Lena answers, surprised. “I don’t mind,” she says with a warm smile.

Kara puts her fingers above Lena’s head and makes a funny face right before the flash snaps a picture. She pulls the girl closer to her, almost onto her lap, for the second picture.

Lena blushes when Kara scoots over further and makes her sit onto her lap, while Alex and Maggie squeeze into the photo booth as well. When she looks at them, she sees them making one funny face after the other.

Kara can see that Lena is a bit stiff about this whole picture thing, but after the first roll of photos, the girl begins to loosen up and make faces as well.

Alex laughs when she pulls Kara down, so together with Maggie and Lena she can lift her sister up for the next photo. “Say cheese!” she shouts right before the flash.

“Ohhh cheese,” Kara replies. “I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry,” Lena comments amusingly.

“Haha, sucker,” Alex says to Kara. “Even Lena knows how insane your appetite is.”

“I’m really feeling the love here, Alex,” Kara grumbles teasingly.

Maggie laughs and puts more money into the slot so they can have more photos taken. 

“I’m going to have so many new photos to put in my scrapbook,” Kara says happily. She smiles when Lena insists she should sit on her lap this time.

Maggie kisses Alex’s cheek just as the flash goes off again, taking another photo. She laughs at her girlfriend’s wide surprised eyes, which are now perfectly photographed.

Alex puts her sunglasses on and makes a gun with her fingers, holding it next to her chin, trying to look as tough as possible while she presses her back against Maggie’s back, who is doing the same pose.

Kara and Lena copy Alex and Maggie, bursting out into laughter once the picture is taken.

Maggie grins cheekily as she pushes Kara and Lena out of the photo booth for a while so she can take a roll of photos with Alex.

 


	3. Chapter 3

“What do you prefer?” Alex asks while she glances Lena over. “A suit or a dress?”

Lena feels nervous, not about getting dressed up, but to go to the casino since she’s not sure what to expect once they arrive there and she understands that it’s one of the highlights of their road trip. “A dress would be nice,” she answers, deciding to settle for that.

“Kara has a red dress that will do you justice,” Alex says, clearly recalling that one of the dresses Kara packed is a red one. “I’m going to wear my azure blue dress,” she mumbles while zipping her suitcase open.

“You look hot in that one,” Maggie says approvingly. “I’ll wear my black dress.”

Kara opens her suitcase and hands her red dress to Lena. She has a feeling that Alex is right about how it’ll do the girl justice. Personally she settles for a casual black dress.

Lena awkwardly slips into the bathroom to get changed while the others simply seem to undress in the hotel room. It’s not that she’s ashamed of her body, she’s merely not used to it and doesn’t want to be disrespectful of their privacy. In the span of two days, her life got turned upside down. She went from being in a house with unloving people who made her feel like a prisoner who didn’t belong to being with three women who are incredibly sweet and make her feel free. Two days ago she would have thought she’d be wandering around for a long time and sleep outside until she’d be able to find some sort of job somewhere to get her own apartment.

“You look amazing,” Kara says with a smile when Lena steps out of the bathroom, wearing her red dress. “It fits you so much better than it ever fit me.”

“Looking sexy, Lena,” Maggie compliments the girl, giving her a thumbs up. She’d use Lena’s last name, but the girl has been very secretive and silent about that.

“Thank you,” Lena replies politely. “You all look beautiful,” she says earnestly, given the three of them are attractive women, although Kara definitely stands out.

“Let’s go,” Alex says as she grabs her car keys. “Do you have your fakes?” she asks Kara and Lena.

“I got them,” Maggie says, quickly moving to hand them to Kara and Lena. “Those should do the trick, as good as real,” she says confidently.

“Lena Danvers,” Lena reads out loud as she looks at the fake ID Maggie made for her.

“Yup,” Maggie confirms. She had to put a last name on Lena’s ID, so she decided to put Danvers, which was the easiest choice.

Lena is okay with that and really any last name would be fine as long as it’s not Luthor. She follows them to Alex’s car and gets onto the backseat with Kara.

“One last touch,” Maggie says as Alex starts the car. She turns around, lipstick in hand and gestures for Lena to lean towards her.

Lena holds her breath while Maggie tousles her hair a bit and applies lipstick onto her lips. This whole casino thing feels like a big deal, which is slightly unnerving, although Kara will probably remain by her side.

“That’s better,” Maggie says, happy with her own work. “Now you can pass for twenty-one,” she continues, nodding as she puts the lipstick away in her purse and grabs another. “Danvers junior, your turn.”

Kara rolls her eyes and leans in to let Maggie do her thing. At least the lipstick isn’t cherry red like the one Maggie applied onto Lena’s lips.

Maggie tousles Kara’s hair and applies pink lipstick onto her lips. “Don’t ramble when we arrive there,” she says, as a tip. It could be a giveaway if Kara would be extra nervous and start rambling like a school girl.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Kara courteously holds her hand out as she hops out of the car, waiting for Lena to take it. She wouldn’t want the girl to trip or to stumble with Alex’s black high heels that she’s wearing.

Lena smiles and accepts Kara’s hand, graciously getting out of the car and careful as she walks. It’s not the first time she’s wearing high heels, so that’s one thing she doesn’t need to worry about tonight.

Maggie intertwines her fingers with Alex’s, gently pulling her along as they walk towards the entrance of the casino. “I’ll be betting some of my money on table games,” she says, having made up her mind. “The slots aren’t my thing.”

“I think I’ll do the same,” Alex says, pursing her lips together. The slots would be a waste of money and at the table games she could try to win some money. “Hopefully it’ll pay off that I practiced poker.”

“I know how to play poker,” Lena cuts in.

“You can prove it once we’re inside,” Maggie replies, interested to see which poker skills Lena has, if any.

“I’ll play too,” Kara says, wanting to give it a try. She doesn’t know how yet, but she could learn from them. It can’t possibly be that hard, since it’s just a game.

“That should be a surprise,” Alex comments lightly. “You don’t even know how to play poker, Kara.”

“I will teach you the ropes of poker,” Lena promises Kara. “If your poker face is decent, you’re halfway there.”

Alex doubts Kara has a poker face considering her sister is definitely not the sneaky type and she has a feeling Kara would give herself away too easily.

When they reach the security guards, they show their ID’s and without an issue, they’re allowed to enter.

Maggie smiles proudly that the fakes she made for Kara and Lena worked. As a cop she should know better, but they’re only young once and they’re here to have fun. Besides, Kara can’t get drunk even if she would drink. As for Lena, well, she hopes that girl won’t drink or at least keep it modest if she does.

Kara follows Lena towards a table where people are playing poker. For the first game she’ll simply observe the girl and see what she does, so she can give it a go for the second game.

Alex and Maggie sit down across from Lena, shortly nodding at the other players as a polite way to greet them.

Lena smiles when Kara smiles at her, but the second the game begins, she switches to her poker face. It would be nice if she can manage to impress Kara, Alex and Maggie, and even better if she can win money since she doesn’t like how they’ve been paying everything for her. She’ll give any money she wins to Alex and Maggie, which is really the least she can do.

Maggie leans lightly over the table, looking at the cards in her hand and then at Lena with a raised eyebrow. She tries to wiggle her eyebrows a bit to break the girl’s concentration, which doesn’t seem to work.

Alex chews the inside of her cheek as she looks at her card, seeing that she has two pairs, which is not exactly a good hand and someone else at the table probably has more. She purses her lips together and raises her money, deciding to try and bluff her way through this.

A few people at their table put their cards down, passing up playing further.

Alex swallows hard when Maggie, Lena and two others are still in the game while the money is raised up to a thousand dollars. Thankfully nobody seems to increase the money anymore, but she knows she won’t win. “Two pairs,” she sighs as she reveals her cards, feeling disappointed.

The first stranger has three of a kind and the second stranger has a straight.

Maggie smiles confidently while she wonders why Alex kept going so far. It looks like it’s up to her to win their money back, plus the money from the other players. “Full house,” she announces proudly as she shows her cards.

“You got me,” Lena replies, seeing Maggie smile wider, but then she drops her poker face and breaks out into a smile of her own. “Royal flush,” she says, revealing her cards.

Maggie’s jaw drops, hardly believing that a girl beat her ass at poker. She had been so sure Lena had a bad hand of cards, but damn, was she wrong.

Kara squeals a little bit, proud of Lena when all the money is being pushed her way.

Lena winks at Maggie as she counts the money. “Here,” she says while handing the money over to Alex. “I want you both to have it.”

“This is too much,” Alex replies, having seen how the total amount went up to nearly three-thousand dollars and okay, half of it was the money the three of them had put in, but still, it’s too much.

“Please,” Lena insists. “It’s the least I can do.” She’s not going to change her mind about this, because she knows they have been giving her food, rides, places to sleep and more.

Maggie grins and stands up from the table. “We should go to another table,” she suggests.

“Okay,” Alex agrees. “How about we put all the money we win together and use it later on during our road trip?” she asks, hoping they all see it as a good idea. “That way we can all enjoy it.”

“I’m in,” Maggie replies. “Lena is our lucky charm now.”

“I hope you can bluff well when you get a bad hand,” Alex says to Lena, since the girl got lucky with that royal flush.

“I think she can,” Kara comments as she takes Lena’s hand in hers. “Her poker face is good.”

“You three can go find us a table,” Maggie says. “I’ll go get drinks, what are y’all having?”

“I’ll have what you’re having,” Alex answers, shrugging a bit. She knows whatever Maggie picks will be good for her too.

“Red wine,” Lena replies. When she sees Maggie crossing her arms over her chest, she’s about to change her mind and mention a non-alcoholic drink, but then Maggie looks at Kara.

“For me too,” Kara decides. “Red wine, like Lena.”

Lena has a feeling that she unintentionally encouraged Kara to drink, but Alex and Maggie seem casual about it. One drink probably won’t harm the girl, or so she hopes. She can manage a few glasses without getting tipsy, but tonight she’ll stick to one to avoid having Kara copy her.

“I’m ready,” Kara says, rubbing her hands together as she waits to get her cards.

“I see your poker face is coming along great,” Maggie teases. She has a feeling Kara puppy Danvers will be the first to lose the game.

Lena sips absentmindedly from her glass of wine while the cards are being dealt. She hopes Kara will do well just to see her happy, but she’s worried Maggie is right about the girl not having a poker face. It’s not Kara’s fault that she’s so adorable and too innocent to bluff.

Alex can hardly concentrate on her cards, too distracted by the way Kara and Lena keep staring at each other as if nobody else is around. Oh god, Maggie was right, there is something going on between her sister and that girl. It’s safe to say that her gaydar sucks.

Maggie snaps her fingers in front of Alex’s face to gain her attention, laughing when her girlfriend jumps up. “Your move, Danvers,” she says, shifting her eyes towards the table.

“Oh, right,” Alex replies, clearing her throat. She sees that she has a straight flush this time, so that’s good. “I’m going to raise my bet by hundred dollars,” she says, putting more chips onto the table.

“I’m following,” Lena says as she hoovers over her chips. “I’ll raise my bet by five-hundred dollars.”

Kara nervously bounces her leg up and down as she looks at her cards. She only has one pair, so that’s not good. Everyone is looking at her as if they’re seeing right through her and her cards. “Pass,” she says, putting her cards down.

Maggie doubles the bet Lena placed, feeling quite good about the four of a kind she has. It’s definitely not a bad hand and it’s possible she has the highest, although it’s not certain.

Alex becomes nervous when Lena brings her bet up to two-thousand dollars. “Pass,” she says, deciding to pull out the game because she has a feeling the girl has the highest cards again.

Maggie grumbles when everyone at the table begins to pass, abandoning the money they left on the table so far. At this point there’s probably about ten-thousand dollars in chips on their table. It’s just her and Lena now, who is still raising her bet. “Fuck,” she curses, shaking her head. Four of a kind is not bad, but there are higher hands. “Pass.”

Lena chuckles when she reveals her lousy cards, having out bluffed them all.

Kara chuckles along with Lena when aside from the four of them, the rest of their table curses and leaves. “You just won a lot of money,” she says, gasping as she stares at all the chips. “Like a lot a lot.” She smiles and allows the girl to pull her onto her lap, ignoring the fact that Alex can see them.

“Hey, lucky charm,” Maggie says, grasping her glass to move along. “Do you know how to play blackjack?”

Lena nods and kisses Kara’s cheek, gently patting her leg so they can both get up.

“By the way,” Alex says as she slings her arm over Lena’s shoulder, “since you’ve been winning so much money, I want you to keep at least half for yourself, as a private budget.”

“I liked your previous idea about sharing it during this road trip,” Lena replies, uncomfortable with the idea to take half of the money for herself, regardless of the fact that she won it. Without their money she wouldn’t even have had money to play with.

“No, no,” Maggie butts in, being with Alex on this one. “We’re going to use half for the road trip and you’re going to keep the other half.”

“They’re right,” Kara agrees. “You should keep half, Lena. You’ve already paid us back more than you should have,” she points out truthfully.

Lena knows she can use the money to get a small apartment once this road trip is over, since she realizes this trip won’t last forever. Eventually Kara, Alex and Maggie will go home to their lives and she’ll be out on her own again. “I will keep half of it on one condition,” she says, hoping to strike a deal with them. “From now on I pay my own things.”

“Deal,” Maggie replies, shaking Lena’s hand.

“We could get a suite tonight,” Alex says, looking forward to have a spacious bedroom with a mini-bar and other extras.

“I’d like that,” Kara says, smiling. “You can get one with Maggie and I’ll get one with Lena.”

Alex looks down at Kara’s right hand that’s intertwined with Lena’s. “You could have told me you’re into girls,” she blurts out. “I was so nervous when I came out to you and you said nothing.”

“Oh Rao,” Kara whispers quietly. “You were sixteen and I was twelve,” she throws back. “I had no idea.”

“She has a point,” Maggie says to Alex, agreeing with Kara. “Real smooth there, Danvers,” she chuckles.

Lena drops Kara’s hand like she’s been burned, feeling anxious that Alex might actually get angry.

“I’m sorry,” Alex apologizes softly. “It’s a surprise, that’s all,” she explains. “If you two like each other then I guess that’s good.”

“Thank you,” Kara replies while she grasps Lena’s hand again. “I do like her, like that,” she admits, blushing a deep shade of red.

Lena takes a deep breath in and a deep breath out, relieved that Alex doesn’t appear to be angry. “I like you too,” she whispers to Kara.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“A snack bar!” Kara shouts excitedly as she runs up to it. “Chips, nuts, candy, ohhh this is good stuff,” she says approvingly while pulling the wrapper off of a Twix bar.

Lena frowns slightly at Kara’s outspoken interest for the snacks while there is a king-sized bed in the middle of the room with tons of pillows on it. Then again, the girl really does like food a lot so she shouldn’t be too surprised.

“How rude of me,” Kara says, turning around to look at Lena. “Do you want anything?” she asks politely.

“Now that you’re asking, yes,” Lena answers with a serious tone. She places one hand behind Kara’s neck and gently pulls the girl towards her. “I want you,” she whispers.

Kara closes her eyes, feeling Lena’s plump lips on hers. This is her best summer vacation ever, so much better than all her other vacations combined. She smiles when the girl pushes her onto the bed.

“I’m happy you found me, Kara,” Lena whispers earnestly.

Kara slowly runs her fingers through Lena’s hair, staring at her intently. “I’m happy you agreed to come with us so we didn’t have to kidnap you,” she whispers playfully.

Lena smiles and chucks a pillow at Kara. “Considering you have no poker face I think Alex and Maggie are happy about that as well,” she teases. “Can you imagine the cruelty if they would have been stuck to play poker with you?”

“How dare you sass me like that?” Kara gasps. She pins Lena down onto the bed, holding her wrists above her head while being careful that she doesn’t hurt the girl. “Maybe we shouldn’t kiss anymore, now that Maggie made you a Danvers.”

“Come on,” Lena says, pouting slightly. “That fake ID doesn’t count.”

“It looks pretty real to me,” Kara teases, having her fun with this.

“I suppose you shouldn’t sleep in this suite,” Lena replies lightly. “You better say bye to that snack bar now.”

“No, no, no,” Kara says quickly, taking her words back. “I lo-like being here with you.”

“You’re cute when you’re shy and flustered,” Lena whispers as she pulls Kara down on top of her, so she can kiss her. She feels something as well, but it’s all still new and quite fresh. After all, they just kissed for the first time a day ago.

“I’ll make sure you never have to run away again,” Kara promises, leaning down more to kiss Lena. “You can stay with me, even when this road trip ends. You don’t have to leave once you turn eighteen.” She knows that originally it was agreed the girl would stay until she turns eighteen.

“Give me some time to think about that, okay?” Lena asks, not wanting to make such a big decision yet. It’s sweet that Kara is offering her that, but she doesn’t want to intrude further on the girl’s life and she doesn’t want to get Kara in trouble. It wouldn’t be right if she would drive a wedge between the Danvers sisters by overstaying longer than she should. “I’m not sure if you would still like me if you’d know which family I used to live with.”

Kara will give Lena all the time she needs, but she’d hate to see her go, so hopefully the girl will stay. “I like you because you’re you and where you come from won’t change that,” she replies softly. “Plus, you ran away from them, which makes it clear you weren’t okay with being a part of that family.”

“The brother I had in the family who adopted me did something awful recently,” Lena says sadly, still disappointed that happened since it also dragged the family name, which she unfortunately shares even though she doesn’t want to. “I’m worried that if people know my surname, they will only see me as that and not as Lena.”

“I know what it’s like to be let down by family,” Kara replies, understanding somewhat how Lena must be feeling. She sits down on the bed and pulls the girl close to her, letting Lena rest her head in her lap. “You will always be Lena to me.”

Lena smiles as she looks up at Kara, who is caressing her cheek. It feels surreal to be here with the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful girl she ever met. Maybe someday she’ll feel comfortable with telling Kara about her family, but for now she doesn’t want to ruin how well it’s been going.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Another night is falling when Alex pulls her car to a stop near a grassy hill top with an amazing view attached to it.

Kara frowns a bit, confused that Alex didn’t drive to a hotel or something of the sorts, since it’s already quite late.

“It’s a warm night,” Alex says as she opens the trunk of her car to grab some blankets and pillows. “We’ll be sleeping under the stars.”

“I didn’t even know that was on the list,” Kara replies, surprised.

“It wasn’t,” Maggie says, smiling while she splays out the first blanket onto the grass. “We decided to do this when we woke up this morning.” She had a talk about it with Alex and they both felt like it would be a nice experience.

“Oh okay,” Kara says, going with it. She takes two blankets and puts on down onto the grass while keeping the other to sleep under.

Lena sits down next to Kara on the blanket, huddled close together while looking up at the stars. “The view is magnificent,” she says admiringly, having never slept under the stars before.

“It wouldn’t be complete without you,” Kara whispers lovingly into Lena’s ear.

Lena smiles and slowly brings her face closer to Kara’s, taking her time to kiss her. She is gentle with her movements when she traces her tongue over the girl’s upper lip while placing her hands softly on Kara’s shoulders. Each night with the girl keeps getting better and better, surprisingly so. During the first night they cuddled, even though she wasn’t aware of that while she slept. The second night they kissed. On the third night they slept in a luxurious suite. Tonight they’ll be sleeping underneath the stars.

“Where did you just go?” Kara asks, keeping her voice low since she doesn’t want Alex and Maggie to overhear their conversation.

“Hmm?” Lena replies, confused. “I’m here.”

“No, not like that,” Kara explains, smiling a little bit. “You have a tiny crinkle between your eyebrows when you’re thinking, when your thoughts take you for a walk,” she clarifies.

“Oh,” Lena whispers, feeling surprised that Kara is able to tell when she’s thinking a lot. It’s sweet that the girl picks up on minor details like that, things that nobody really ever bothered to notice before. Kara notices her and actually _sees_ her. “I was thinking about how lucky I am to be here with you. All of this feels surreal. I’d have to pinch myself to know I’m not dreaming.”

Kara smiles and lightly pinches Lena’s arm, who in response pulls her arm away. “You’re not dreaming,” she muses.

“You pinched me,” Lena whispers, staring at Kara. “You actually pinched me.”

“Aww,” Kara whispers as she takes a hold of Lena’s arm. “I’ll kiss it better.”

“Are you planning to kiss me everywhere where I’m hurting?” Lena asks, shaking her head with a small smile on her face.

“I can do that,” Kara answers sincerely.

Lena falters slightly when Kara presses a kiss near her heart through her shirt and she couldn’t have been more right, because her heart is where she has been hurting the most.

Kara sees tears brimming in Lena’s eyes, so she holds her close and hums the Kryptonian lullaby to soothe her, the same way she did two nights ago. She can see Alex and Maggie staring for a moment, but they quickly look away to mind themselves.

Alex quietly gives Maggie a hand to move their blankets and pillows a bit further away from Kara and Lena to grant them some more privacy. It saddens her how pained the girl is and it’s good that her sister is around to help Lena. She is proud of Kara and not for whom she has become, but for who her sister has always been, a kind-hearted spirit who wants to help people.

 


	4. Chapter 4

“That one kind of looks like a star,” Kara whispers as she points her index finger up at the sky.

“Maybe that’s because we are literally looking at stars,” Lena whispers, her eyes twinkling because Kara is cute.

“I know, but that’s not what I meant,” Kara sighs happily. “If you put those together,” she explains, vaguely gesturing towards the sky, “then they sort of form a star together.”

“It looks more like a poorly shaped box to me,” Lena whispers, not seeing a star in it.

Kara shuffles herself a bit closer towards Lena onto the blanket.

“Are you going to steal my body heat again?” Lena asks teasingly.

“Excuse you miss I’ll cuddle you in my sleep and then slam my head against the headboard of the bed,” Kara answers, teasing Lena back.

“You’re really too kind for letting me live that one down,” Lena comments sarcastically. It was quite clumsy, but she couldn’t help it since she was shocked to wake up, cuddling with someone who at that point was still a stranger. “Kara, what are we?” she asks, uncertain. They established that they’re friends, although with the way they kiss she wouldn’t say they’re just friends.

“Um, we… you, um…,” Kara tries to answer, but she’s feeling quite nervous. “You are… my… girl..friend,” she says awkwardly.

“Girl _friend_ or girlfriend?” Lena asks, wanting to be sure what Kara means.

Kara fidgets with the blanket and shyly looks into Lena’s eyes, trying to figure out what she would be the most comfortable with. “The dating kind,” she breathes out.

Lena smiles at that, happy to hear from Kara that they’re dating. She could have settled for friends if that would have been what the girl wanted, although truly she definitely wants to be more than friends, so it’s a relief. It’s crazy how quickly Kara crawled underneath her skin and into her heart. She should have known she’d be a goner that night the girl tossed her jacket over her shoulders.

Kara props herself up onto her elbow so she can look at Lena. A smile tugs at the corners of her lips when the girl copies her movements so they’re facing each other. “Your hair is pretty,” she whispers as she gently twirls a lock of Lena’s hair around her finger. “It suits you.”

“I like yours,” Lena whispers, smiling back at Kara. “You are a walking ray of sunshine.”

Kara smiles brighter at that. “We match well then,” she muses, leaning in a bit. “I was thinking of how you’re like the moonlight.”

Lena is relieved that in four weeks she will turn eighteen and it’s good that she was picked up from the road, since she must be many hours away from the Luthors now. It’s not sure if they’re looking for her and she hopes they’re not, but if they are they might have found her if she hadn’t gotten in that car that night with Kara, Alex and Maggie. No matter where she ends up going, she knows that she doesn’t want to be with the Luthors. Lex killed so many people and he nearly killed her as well because she was in the area, which he knew she was.

Kara feels relaxed when Lena curls up into her arms and when she hears her sniffle quietly she hums the Kryptonian lullaby to soothe her.

Lena closes her eyes and listens to the steady rhythm of Kara’s heart as she rests on her chest. Someday she wants to ask where the girl picked up that song and which language it is, because it intrigues her.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“It’s really easy,” Maggie says as she gives everyone a bottle of water. “We each take a turn to say something we have never done,” she explains, sitting down next to Alex on the blanket. “If you have done it, you drink from your water.” Since Kara and Lena are seventeen she’s not going to use alcohol for this game.

“Alright,” Lena replies, sitting down on the blanket next to Kara. She has heard about that game from others, rather vaguely, but she has never played it before.

“Never have I ever been in jail,” Maggie begins.

“Ugh,” Alex grumbles, sipping from her water. She can see Kara staring at her in shock. “It was one time, one night! I got completely smashed so the cops took me away to spend a night in jail and sober up,” she says in her defense. “Damn you, Sawyer.” She pushes her girlfriend and sighs. “Never have I ever eaten two pizzas by myself.”

“Oh come on,” Kara groans before sipping from her water. “That one was too easy,” she says, knowing that when it comes to food she might as well keep drinking water. “Never have I ever been to a school prom.”

Alex and Maggie grin as they both sip from their water. It’s a sweet memory where they danced together all night until the music stopped and their feet hurt.

“Never have I ever been to a regular school,” Lena says, having only been to boarding schools.

Alex, Maggie and Kara sip from their water while glancing confusedly at Lena.

“Never have I ever kissed a guy,” Maggie says proudly, waiting for the others to drink.

Alex tries to look away as she drinks from her bottle of water. It was only once when she was a young teenager, when she didn’t know yet that she’s gay and it was a very awkward kiss.

Kara tries to hurry as she takes a sip, but it’s clear they all caught her. “I kind of had a date once,” she mumbles.

Maggie raises one eyebrow at Lena, but the girl just shakes her head, causing her to smile.

“Hmm,” Alex says as she thinks. “We should turn this game around,” she suggests. “It would be a lot easier to say things we have done.”

“I’m game,” Maggie replies, liking Alex’s idea.

“Okay,” Kara agrees.

Lena merely shrugs, going along with it.

“Okay so it was my turn,” Alex says. “I have binge watched the L word.”

Lena takes a sip from her water, never having seen it.

Alex gapes at Kara. “You binge watched the L word?” she asks disbelievingly.

“You were watching it and I got curious,” Kara answers. “I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”

“My fave in that show was definitely Shane,” Maggie comments.  

Kara decides to keep playing the game rather than talking about the L word, since Lena has never watched it and she doesn’t want to shut the girl out of the conversation. “My turn,” she says with a smile. “I have broken someone’s nose once.” It happened accidentally when she tried to push a guy away who kept bugging her when she was thirteen, but the palm of her hand collided with his nose and it broke.

Maggie laughs when none of them drink. “Annoying guy, back in high school,” she explains vaguely. “He had it coming.”

“Girl who thought I was going to steal her boyfriend,” Alex explains, amused by how ridiculous it was given at the time she was already seeing Maggie. “She hit me first, so I hit her back.”

Lena can feel their eyes on her, waiting for her explanation. “A guy who broke my wrist,” she says bitterly. Lex got very aggressive already before he killed all those people and he broke her wrist once, to which she hit him with her fist, breaking his nose.

“That bastard,” Alex spits angrily. “He definitely deserved it then.”

They continue to play the game for almost an hour, learning more about each other.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“You are serious!?” Kara asks Lena, thoroughly shocked. “We have to fix this, right now,” she insists, lightly dragging the girl along with her.

Alex and Maggie laugh as Lena’s eyes widen while Kara orders ten burgers.

Kara smiles happily as she slips behind a table, sitting down. “You’re going to like it,” she says to Lena. “Or I think so… at least, I mean, I do.”

Lena doesn’t notice any cutlery so it looks like she’ll have to eat it with her hands, like Kara is already doing with the first burger. The Luthors never ate this type of food and they brought her up with etiquette, not that she intends to be some sort of brat or anything. She picks up a burger and takes a small bite to try it.

“Do yu mwliek it?” Kara asks with a mouthful of burger.

“Savage,” Maggie comments, laughing.

“This food monster over here,” Alex says while pointing at Kara, “wants to know if you like it.”

“It tastes quite alright,” Lena replies, slightly surprised that it actually doesn’t taste bad.

Alex slides half of the burgers towards Kara. “Now we’ll be safe to eat without Kara biting our fingers off,” she says teasingly.

“I have never seen anyone with an appetite like Kara’s,” Lena says earnestly, still not understanding where Kara puts it all, fit or not. “If she were to enter a food contest I bet she would win by a long stretch,” she muses, having heard about food contests a few times.

“Food contest?” Kara asks, putting her burger down for a moment. “Does that really exist?”

“Oh no,” Alex groans. “Now you’ve done it, Lena.”

“Alex,” Kara says in disbelief. “You should have told me.”

“And puke to see all those people stuffing their faces like crazy?” Alex retorts. “No thanks.”

Lena chuckles as the Danvers sisters argue about whether they should go to a contest like that or not, but it’s quickly clear that Alex gives in to Kara’s pouting.

“Next year,” Alex promises. “We could have a small road trip then and go to one of those contests,” she says, not wanting to deal with it this year.

“Fine,” Kara sighs, dropping it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Two weeks have passed when Alex, Maggie and Kara begin to set their way home, nearing the end of their road trip.

Lena is nervous about what she should do and she has been thinking a lot about what Kara told her. She’s still about two weeks shy from turning eighteen, so she can’t really be on her own feet yet, but she also doesn’t want to burden them. Alex offered her that she can stay at her apartment for a few weeks or so, until she is eighteen and can manage to be on her own when she finds a job. From what she’s been told, they only live about two hours away from where she lived with the Luthors. Up until today she has been keeping her last name a secret, which is a secret she still intends to keep to herself.

Spending time with Kara during the two weeks she’s been with them is amazing and she really likes her a lot. It feels nice to be with someone who is genuinely kind to her and cares for her. They’ve all given her so much more than she could ever dream of and she will never forget that, will never forget them, no matter where her life takes her. Despite the time she spent with them, she doesn’t belong with them. They’re not her family to be a part of, because she doesn’t have a family.

“This is our last stop,” Alex says as she parks her car at a motel. “Tomorrow morning after our breakfast, we’ll leave and then I’ll drive home in one go.”

Kara hops out of the car and holds her hand out for Lena, as always. She’s been having a lot of fun on this road trip, especially with the girl and she looks forward to be home again so she can show Lena her favorite places.

“Tomorrow morning here at my car at 10am,” Alex says, warning Kara and Lena to get up on time and get dressed. “That’s when we leave.”

“I’m tired,” Maggie mutters. “It’s been a long day.” She takes Alex’s hand and enters the motel so they can get their room.

Kara smiles when she gets the keys to a room. “Are you tired?” she asks Lena as they walk to the room.

“Yes,” Lena answers with a small smile. “Quite a bit, actually.”

“Let’s go you tucked in,” Kara says sweetly as she opens the door.

Lena changes into one of Kara’s pajamas and brushes her teeth before slipping under the covers.

Kara nestles herself close to Lena and leans in to kiss her, gently letting their tongues meet as their kiss deepens. It’s amazing to kiss the girl and she’s been perfectly content with kissing and cuddling her. It doesn’t have to be more yet, because they have time and they can take this slow.

Lena places her head on Kara’s chest and listen as she sings that song in that foreign language. She wouldn’t be able to even guess which language it is, not even if her life would depend on it.

Kara falls silent when she hears Lena fell asleep. She yawns and closes her eyes, allowing sleep to take her away.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Good morning,” Kara mumbles sleepily, cracking her eyes open. She frowns when she doesn’t hear a response and when she feels around, she doesn’t feel Lena. “Lena?” she asks as she opens her eyes fully and looks around. Aside from herself, the bed is empty.

She gets up and walks over towards the bathroom, knocking a few times, but she doesn’t hear anything. Using her x-ray vision which she didn’t at first to respect Lena’s privacy, she sees it’s empty. Her eyes land on a note that’s on the night stand, so she picks it up to read it.

 

_Dear Kara,_

 

_I cannot tell you enough how much your kindness meant to me. Alex, Maggie and you have done much more than offer me to go along, giving me food, places to sleep, and rides. I was in a place where my faith in humanity began to fade. You helped me to restore my faith, showed me that kindness still exists._

_My days with you have been wonderful, but the problem is that I have no place in your family. It is your family, not mine. I do not want any of you to get in trouble, not for me. You are too good and too pure to be pulled into my darkness._

_You see, I was not going to tell you because I felt ashamed, but I’m a Luthor. They are the family who adopted me and yes, I ran away from them, but that does not make me better than them. I had to leave because you deserve so much more than I can give._

_I hope that someday you can understand I had to do this. This is not due to a lack of love, no, I left because that is how much I love you. Scary word, isn’t it? Love. You will always be with me in my heart. I am deeply sorry it had to be this way._

_Thank you for allowing me to feel what a loving family is like and for all the smiles you brought upon my face. Thank you for drying my tears and holding me when I was falling apart._

_With love,_

_Lena._

 

Tears stream down Kara’s face as she clutches the note to her chest, but it doesn’t fill up the hole that’s been smashed into her heart. She thought everything was going well, she thought Lena was going to stay because of how happy they have been together. In seconds she is dressed and runs out of the room.

“Kara?” Alex asks concerned, leaning against her car when she sees Kara stepping outside, crying. “Kara, what happened?”

Kara wraps her arms around Alex, crying onto her shoulder. “Sh-she l-le-left,” she chokes out. “Le-Lena ran a-away.”

“Oh, Kara,” Alex replies softly, rubbing Kara’s back. “I’m so sorry,” she whispers.

Kara pulls back and wipes her tears away with her sleeve. “I have to find her,” she says with a strong voice, trying not to sound as broken as she feels.

“No wait, Kara,” Alex replies, grabbing Kara’s wrist. “Kara, don’t, you can’t,” she pleads. “You can’t expose yourself.”

Kara doesn’t listen because she wants Lena back. She easily breaks free from Alex’s grip on her and pushes her feet off on the ground, flying up.

“Fuck,” Maggie mutters.

“I hope the DEO doesn’t find out about this,” Alex whispers sadly. “The only reason I joined in the first place is so I could protect Kara. She’s not supposed to use her powers.”

“It’s heartbreaking, the look she had in her eyes,” Maggie whispers, feeling for Kara. “She really believed Lena was going to stay.” Personally she already had a feeling Lena would want to leave at some point, but she didn’t know the girl would actually run away, again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena tiredly rubs at her eyes, seeing that it’s daytime now. She glances at the truck driver, who has his eyes on the road. Last night when she pretended to be asleep, she waited for Kara to sleep. After that she slipped out of the bed, got dressed and left a note. She was lucky because she had hardly set foot on the road when the truck driver stopped to offer her a ride. It’s quite odd how last night she actually was hitchhiking, despite knowing that getting in a car with a stranger is not the best idea. The truck driver had been friendly and introduced himself as Paul. Up until she dozed off he talked about his family and his children.

“Are you hungry?” Paul asks, his eyes still on the road. “I’m going to stop for gas in twenty minutes and eat some breakfast.”

“Yes, a little,” Lena answers.

When they stop for breakfast and Paul pays for them both without question, Lena tries to smile politely at the kind man, but her heart aches and hurts. She can’t stop thinking about Kara, even though she feels like she did the right thing. Now she’s hours away from the motel she had been in with Kara, Alex and Maggie, since the truck driver drove all night long. At this point the three of them are probably heading home to return to their lives, which they should.

Everyone is better off without her, so she should stay alone and go her own way. She doesn’t know where exactly she should go or wants to go, but eventually she’ll figure something out. It helps that she still has that fake ID Maggie made for her, which will come in handy in some occasions for as long as she isn’t eighteen yet. The money she has from the casino will keep her on her feet long enough to last a few weeks.

She can continue to sleep at motels and hotels, since renting a place would be too big of a risk, in case they check her background or something. It’s easier when she can simply pay, sleep and then leave again, no questions asked. This is her life now, being a girl who ran away and who doesn’t have a home.

“Aren’t you a little young to be out on the road by yourself?” Paul asks suddenly. He sounds concerned in a way a caring father would. “If you have problems, I can help you. My wife is a sweet lassie and we have an empty guestroom.”

“I’m eighteen, sir,” Lena answers, lying a bit. “Everything is perfectly alright.”

“I’m going to get a coffee refill,” Paul says, getting up from his seat. “Do you want me to bring you another cup?” he asks friendly.

Lena can see the kindness in his old tired eyes as he scratches his beard and waits for an answer. “Yes, thank you,” she answers politely, feeling guilty for lying. When Paul is out of her sight, she places a few bills on the table and hurries to run away because she can’t let this happen. She can’t let another person get attached to her and offer her a place to stay. All she wanted was a temporary ride to get away.  

 

 

* * *

 

 

Alex is at a loss because she can’t console Kara, no matter how hard she tries. They’ve been home for a week now and her sister didn’t find Lena. She has never seen Kara this distraught before, so devastated over a person. Even though she told her sister on the night they found the girl that she’d be the first to tell her she told her so if anything would go wrong, she didn’t tell Kara she told her so. It would be misplaced if she would say that while her sister is this upset.

Kara feels like she’s a burden in Alex’s life at this point and maybe she shouldn’t be living in her sister’s apartment. Alex hasn’t had a single relaxed movie night with Maggie because she can’t stop crying. Her eyes hurt and her throat feels raw, but her tears keep falling. She doesn’t care that Lena is a Luthor, because last names are irrelevant. To her Lena will always be Lena, the amazing girl she fell hopelessly in love with, the girl who left a hole in her heart.

Alex holds Kara close and tries her best to sing the Kryptonian lullaby to her, even though she’s a bit rusty at it. Each time she sings it her sister cries, but Kara never allows her to stop singing it.

Kara has read Lena’s note so often that she can recite it without even looking at it. It’s positive that she restored the girl’s faith in humanity, but she wanted to do so much more than that. Their days really were wonderful and it hurts that Lena felt like she didn’t belong here with her. She could have protected the girl, if Lena had come home with her she would have kept her safe at all costs. It’s hard for her to grasp why the girl left her if she truly loved her so much.

“Hey,” Maggie says as she walks into Alex’s apartment, having used the key she has. “I brought pizza.”

“Mhm pizza,” Alex replies. “I see you brought an extra one for Kara.”

“I did,” Maggie confirms.

“I’m not hungry,” Kara whispers hoarsely.

“Kara, you’ve hardly eaten,” Alex says, feeling concerned. It’s been a week and her sister barely eats, which really isn’t normal. “How about one slice?” she tries, wanting Kara to eat something.

Kara gets up from the couch and grabs the box of tissues from the table. “I’ll be in my room,” she says as she enters her room and slams the door shut.

Maggie cringes slightly when the door cracks. She sighs and sits down on the couch next to Alex.

“And?” Alex asks quietly, although she’ll be careful because she knows Kara might be listening in.

“Nothing,” Maggie answers sadly, shaking her head. “The picture hasn’t helped yet,” she says vaguely, but Alex will know what she’s on about. It was quite the surprise when Lillian Luthor told the police with a frustrating tone that Lena is gone. The police department has been spreading Lena’s picture around, but so far there have been no results.

“There’s not much time left,” Alex whispers, aware that soon Lena will turn eighteen and then it won’t be the police’s concern anymore.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter a day I said... Oh well. Enjoy this last chapter. :)
> 
> \-----------------------------------------------------

Lena purses her lips and rips the paper to pieces. Since this is the second time she finds her face on paper, stuck to a pole, she’s not surprised anymore. Tonight she will finally have her freedom just as she wanted it. She is eighteen now and there is nothing anyone can do to send her back to the Luthors. Even if at this point someone would somehow recognize her, they simply can’t do anything. She adjusts her blonde wig a bit, which she bought after the first time she ran into a picture of herself on paper.

She walks up towards the security guard, confident in the black dress she’s wearing with matching black high heels. Her small purse is clutched tightly in her hand as she shows her ID with her other hand. The security guard lets her in without an issue, falling for the fake ID. Sometimes she still uses it, so she can pretend to be twenty-one, like tonight.

The lights in this casino are bright and overdone, really. She walks towards the bar and orders herself a bottle of red wine, feeling like a drink is exactly what she needs. The issue is that she can’t wash the memory of Kara away. She can feel her tender kisses etched into her lips.

“Hey, I saw you walking in and you caught my eye,” a young woman says, smiling at Lena. “I figured I’d come say hi, so, hi.”

Lena sizes the woman up, guessing she’s probably in her early twenties or so. Her hair is blonde, but not like Kara’s, paler. She looks petite, has a slender waist, warm hazel eyes and a genuine smile. “Hello,” she replies politely, acknowledging the woman’s presence. “I’m Lena.”

“I’m Ivy,” the young woman says. “I would offer you a drink, but I see you already have one.”

“Would you like a glass?” Lena offers. After this bottle she’ll probably order a new one anyway.

“That would be lovely,” Ivy replies as she sits down next to Lena. “What’s her name?”

“I’m sorry?” Lena asks, confused. “I am afraid I am not following.”

“The woman you drink for to forget,” Ivy clarifies.

Lena frowns deeply, wondering how Ivy even knows that. “How?” she asks curiously.

“Been there done that,” Ivy answers. “Doesn’t work,” she sighs, sipping from her glass of wine. “Ended up going for rebounds just to have a warm body pressed against mine, but eventually I kept waking up to a cold bed and it only left me hollow.”

Lena is still surprised how Ivy could have known that she’s drinking in a pathetic attempt to forget Kara and it’s true that it doesn’t work. About the rebound thing, that’s something she hasn’t done.

“Your eyes say it all,” Ivy whispers, leaning in closer.

Lena can smell the alcohol in Ivy’s breath and it’s not just the wine she offered her. “I had no idea my eyes gave me away,” she replies earnestly, given her chilled demeanor. She used to think she hid it well, having built a wall around her. “I can see why people say the eyes are the mirror of the soul,” she sighs sadly. Her eyes must be what people use to look inside, to see past her walls.

“Did you love her?” Ivy asks.

Lena swallows hard and nods. “I do,” she says, barely a whisper. She hasn’t stopped loving Kara and maybe she never will. “Would you like to get out of here?”

Ivy empties her glass and stares incredulous at Lena. “Are you sure?” she asks.

“Yes,” Lena answers, quickly emptying her glass and placing it down. “It does not mean anything more than a warm body for tonight,” she says, relaying a piece of what Ivy told her.

“One more thing,” Ivy says hesitantly. “How old are you, honey?”

“Does it matter?” Lena scoffs.

“You’re not twenty-one,” Ivy replies sternly.

“No,” Lena admits as she stands up. “But I’m old enough,” she says with a hungry flicker in her eyes, aching for a fix that she can’t seem to find. She boldly takes Ivy’s hand in hers and leads her outside to take her to the hotel room she’s renting for a few nights.

Ivy’s hot breath is on Lena’s neck before they even cross the street.

Lena shuts her eyes and despite Ivy’s warm lips, everything feels cold to her.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_Two am, where do I begin_

_Crying off my face again_

_The silent sound of loneliness_

_Wants to follow me to bed_

_I'm a ghost of a girl_

_That I want to be most_

_I'm the shell of a girl_

_That I used to know well_

_Dancing slowly in an empty room_

_Can the lonely take the place of you_

_I sing myself a quiet lullaby_

_Let you go and let the lonely in_

_To take my heart again_

_Too afraid, to go inside_

_For the pain of one more loveless night_

_For the loneliness will stay with me_

_And hold me till I fall asleep_

_I'm a ghost of a girl_

_That I want to be most_

_I'm the shell of a girl_

_That I used to know well_

_Dancing slowly in an empty room_

_Can the lonely take the place of you_

_I sing myself a quiet lullaby_

_Let you go and let the lonely in_

_To take my heart again_

_Broken pieces of_

_A barely breathing story_

_Where there once was love_

_Now there's only me_

_And the lonely_

_Dancing slowly in an empty room_

_Can the lonely take the place of you_

_I sing myself a quiet lullaby_

_Let you go and let the lonely in_

_To take my heart again_

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Alex asks one last time. “You haven’t been outside in a month,” she points out truthfully. “Some fresh air would do you good.”

“Fresh air won’t bring Lena back,” Kara answers brokenly.

“Kara, please,” Alex says softly. “I know you’re hurting and it sucks, but sitting inside all the time won’t bring her back either.”

“I’d rather be miserable inside than outside,” Kara replies, not in the mood to have people staring at her for crying.

“Kara…,” Alex says gently, squeezing Kara’s shoulder. “Lena would want you to move on.”

“Don’t,” Kara chokes out. “Don’t go there, Alex,” she says, fighting back tears. She doesn’t want to hear how Lena would want her to move on, because she can’t move on. There’s no way she can pretend as if she never met the girl.

“I’m sorry,” Alex apologizes. It’s not her intention to hurt Kara in any way and it makes her feel helpless that she can’t stop her sister’s pain. “I can stay home if you’d like,” she offers.

Maggie lingers in the doorframe, unsure if she should stay here with Alex and Kara or if she should go. It’s painful to see the youngest Danvers heartbroken and sadly nobody ever really forgets their first broken heart.

“No,” Kara says, dismissing Alex’s offer. “Just go, both of you. I want to be alone.”

“Okay,” Alex whispers. She kisses Kara’s forehead and walks away, hoping that her sister knows how much she loves her.

Kara waits for the door to close and then she pulls her knees up under her chin, crying softly. Without Lena it feels like a part of her is missing and it’s scary how quickly she became attached to her. The girl has been gone for twice the amount of time they spent together, but the pain is much more intense. Even though it has been a month, she still cries every day. Soon she’ll be eighteen just like Lena is eighteen by now, but she doesn’t want to celebrate.

Usually on her birthday Alex plans a surprise for her, which she always liked. This year she just wants to be left alone, not have a party with a whole bunch of people when not even a single one of them is Lena. She should have held on tighter to the girl during their last night or maybe she shouldn’t have slept altogether, just to ensure Lena would still have been there in the morning.

Her sister and Maggie both claim that one way or another she wouldn’t have been able to stop the girl from leaving, but she doesn’t want to believe that. If she would have had the chance to tell Lena that she loves her too, then perhaps the girl wouldn’t have left.

She grabs her scrapbook and skims through it until she reaches the pages where she placed the photos she took that time with Lena in that photo booth. It’s one of the best memories she has, even though pain is laced through it. She was so happy in that moment, it makes her wish she could go back to that day and live in it forever.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena pushes the brunette woman with the blue eyes away from her. She went home with that woman last night, who she met at a bar and frankly she doesn’t even know her name. From the first drink she made it clear that she’s not looking for love or to date, and the woman hadn’t minded. Her chest feels follow where her heart is supposed to be.

Their kisses had been rough and sloppy without affection, meaningless. She can feel the scratches the woman left on her back and when she glances at the woman tangled up in the sheets, she sees the marks she left on her. Bruises, scratches and hickeys mar her skin, but none of them mean anything.

After the strange stormy night she had with Ivy, which also meant nothing, she didn’t bother anymore with learning names or sharing hers. The less strings that are attached the better. Nothing can fill up the emptiness within her, the void that began in her heart and spread out throughout her chest. She is no longer that naïve four year old girl with hopes and dreams of a warm loving family, and she is no longer that seventeen year old girl who met Kara and fell in love with her.

Lena puts her clothes on properly and ties her hair together, picking up the few belongings she has before walking away without saying a word. Her shift at the coffee shop begins in an hour and since she’s not nearby, she’ll have to take a cab. It’s an easy job and the people who work there aren’t nosy or curious about her and her life, which she appreciates.

Once outside, she manages to get a cab easily and mumbles the address of her work. “If you get there in half an hour, I’ll pay you double,” she says, knowing at least that way she’ll arrive on time.

The cab driver steps on it, eager to charge Lena the double amount of what she’ll owe him. It’s a trick that always works if she needs to be on time somewhere with a limited amount of time left.

“Hey, chicka,” Lena’s co-worker says as she enters the coffee shop.

“Hello, Sloan,” Lena replies, smiling friendly at her co-worker. “You look cheerful today.”

“I sure am,” Sloan says, grinning. “Boss’ finally giving us a raise.”

“That explains a lot,” Lena comments, understanding now why Sloan is more cheerful than usual.

“I’m going to some party after work,” Sloan says as she tosses Lena an apron. “You down, chicka?”

“Tell me you’re not asking me out,” Lena answers. She wouldn’t want to mix her private life with her work, that’s too complicated and she’s not the dating type anyway. It’s better to ask to be sure rather than ending up in an awkward situation where she’d have to turn Sloan down.

“You wish,” Sloan laughs. “You’re hot, but I don’t swing that way. So, you down?”

Lena laughs lightly. “Yes, I’ll go with you,” she decides. It won’t hurt to try and have some fun, and a party generally means there will be something to drink.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Kara refuses to leave her room, having locked the door from the inside. She knows Alex wanted to celebrate her birthday, but she doesn’t want to. Okay so she’s eighteen now, big deal. All she wants is to be left alone. Everyone should stop trying to get her to do things or try to get her outside.

She should have been going to college by now, which is what she wanted, but she can’t even set a single foot outside without breaking down in tears. In a few months or so, or maybe next year, she can try to go. Moving on hurts, but it seems that she has no choice. Lena is still gone and nobody seems to know where she is. A part of her had hoped the girl would return after turning eighteen, since being eighteen meant Lena wouldn’t have to run anymore.

The note the girl left for her after their last night is pretty much ruined by now. Her tears made the words runny and the paper weak. It doesn’t make a difference that the note is destroyed since she still remembers every single word.

She lies down on her bed on her stomach, taking her time as she looks through her scrapbook. At least nobody can take away her memories, but that’s hardly offering her any comfort. It makes no sense that she couldn’t find her that morning after she read the note. She had flown around, skimmed the area, but there had been no sign of Lena, as if she had gone up in smoke.

Alex and Maggie told her that it’s possible the girl got into someone’s car to hitchhike and if that’s so, then she hopes it was with someone who wasn’t sketchy. Wherever Lena is, she hopes she’s safe.

She changed her mind, being left alone is not what she wants for her birthday. There is one thing, or rather someone, she wants more. She doesn’t want to celebrate with food and gifts. All she wants is to hold Lena in her arms without her running away. It makes her feel helpless that she doesn’t have the slightest clue where the girl is and what’s even sadder is that for all she knows, Lena might not even be alive anymore.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It’s 2am, but Lena can’t sleep, no matter how much she tries. Her sheets feel cold and she’s alone, even though she could have brought some random woman home from the bar she was at earlier, she didn’t. It doesn’t matter how much she tries to get a fix to fill up the emptiness, because she can’t. Tonight her sadness and pain is extra overwhelming, since she knows Kara turned eighteen by now.

She hopes the girl had a good birthday, surrounded by the warm and loving family she has, which is what Kara deserves. Her head hurts from all the alcohol she consumed, but no matter how much she drinks or how drunk she gets, she still thinks about her, always. Kara’s family was never hers to be a part of and even though she’s happy they found her that night, she feels like they would have been so much better off if they had never known her.

It was a bit unfair to leave Kara at night while she slept, but that was because she couldn’t bring herself to say goodbye. She couldn’t bear the idea of looking the girl right in her eyes to tell her she was leaving. In all honesty, she doubts Kara would have let her leave even if she had faced her about it.

She’s been staying around this place for a while, too long by now since Sloan seems to become her friend and it’s clear that other co-workers have tried to become her friend as well, which is not what she wants. People are not supposed to be her friend or anything significant because she can’t have any attachments. Her heart is darkened and she doesn’t have any pieces to offer anyone.

Tears wet her cheeks as she hums the lullaby Kara used to sing her and she knows she’s not getting the words quite right, but it’s a small memory she clings to. She misses the girl’s arms around her, the melody of her voice, the way she stroked her hair. It’s too much and no matter how far she runs, she can’t escape the memories.

She grabs the one suitcase she has and packs her clothes in it, sniffling as she zips it up. Dressing quickly, she picks her suitcase up and walks outside. She fishes a lighter out of her pocket and takes the fake ID out of her wallet, holding the lighter under it. Her days and nights spent using the fake ID are over now. She lets it drop to the ground, watching until it’s turned to ashes completely.

It’s time for her to move away from this place, to stop sticking around here and go elsewhere. She crosses the street and halts a cab when she sees one approaching. Taking a deep breath, she looks back one last time to the place she is leaving and the people who have no idea. She must do this, because she’s a runner and running is what she does.

The cab driver turns around, looking at Lena. “Where to?” he asks, tapping his wheel seemingly impatient.

“How far are you willing to drive?” Lena asks as she holds out a thick roll of bills in her hand. Her nights at the casino have paid off a lot, which is what kept her going the most, made her able to leave quickly anytime she wanted to.

Money allows her to buy anything she pleases, but Kara’s words still echo. Money can’t buy friends. She had always wanted a friend, just one would have been enough, but when the girl came around with Alex and Maggie, she couldn’t do it. Often she wonders how they reacted when they found out she left. She has tried to imagine how she would have felt if it had been the other way around, if Kara had been the one to run away without a warrant and left a small note.

Lena sighs deeply, aware that the cab driver is still waiting for a destination. “I want to go…,” she says, swallowing the lump in her throat as the rest of her words die. “Take me…as far away from here as you can.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

The doorbell rings.

Kara sighs because Alex is in her bedroom with Maggie, watching a movie.

The doorbell rings again.

Kara grumbles and slowly gets up to open the door. It could be a pizza delivery or something for Alex and Maggie.

The doorbell rings a third time. So impatient.

Kara’s jaw goes slack when she opens the door and sees Lena standing in front of her doorstep, completely saturated with a suitcase in her hand. Four months, it’s been four months since she last saw the girl and got her heart broken. She unzips her hoodie, which she had been wearing over her shirt and tosses it gently around Lena’s shoulders.

Lena bites her bottom lip hard, amazed that Kara gave her a hoodie because she’s cold, which brings her back to that night near the road when the girl took her jacket off to give to her. She can see that Kara hasn’t changed, although she has bags under her eyes like she hasn’t slept in days.

Kara doesn’t dare to blink, afraid that if she does, Lena would suddenly be gone. “Are you okay?” she asks concerned.

Lena is stunned with just how selfless Kara is being. She left and didn’t show herself for four months and the first thing the girl asks her is if she’s okay. “I’m tired of running,” she says, shivering due to her soaked clothes. “Running away doesn’t fix anything and I can’t run away from myself.”

Kara swallows thickly, not wanting to get her hopes up only to have them shattered all over again. She can imagine that Lena must be very tired, given she’s been on the run for four months, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead she waits for the girl to continue, to say what she wants to say.

Lena clenches her hand tighter around her suitcase. “You once told me I could stay with you. I know that was four months ago and maybe you don’t feel the same anymore,” she says sadly. Despite having practiced what she’d say during the days it took her to get here and find Kara, she still feels like she’s not formulating her words quite right. She wanted to go home and the only home she could think of was Kara.

Kara remembers that moment like it was yesterday, how badly she wanted Lena to stay with her, how she had offered it and how the girl said she would think about it, only to end up running away from her. She still feels the same, her feelings didn’t change during the four months Lena was gone. A part of her wants to be angry with the hopes that would ease her pain, but she can’t bring herself to be angry, despite how the girl broke her heart and left her in ruins. One look into Lena’s eyes is enough to forgive her due to her heart betraying her, letting her off the hook so easily.

Lena puts her suitcase down and exhales slowly, trying to get a grip on her nerves. If Kara wouldn’t feel the same anymore, she will understand because she doesn’t deserve forgiveness and she definitely doesn’t deserve such a pure soul. “I made a mistake and I thought I was doing the right thing at the time, but recently I realized that’s not the case,” she says, her voice wavering ever so slightly. “Without you I’m nothing but an echo, a shadow, wandering around without a purpose. I was wondering if you still want me to sta-”

Kara surges forward and cuts Lena’s words off with a kiss, feeling how her soaked clothes drench hers as she pulls her close, but she doesn’t care. Her tears mingle with the girl’s tears while their kiss doesn’t break. She pulls Lena even closer and this time she won’t let her go, she won’t let her run away again.

 

_Pull me close to your chest, place your lips on mine to rest_

_Grab my hand and never let go, tell me you’re mine I need to know_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is 'The lonely' by 'Christina Perri, which I listened to on repeat a lot while I wrote this story.   
> The quote at the end is mine. 
> 
> This has been quite the emotional journey. I decided I will write a sequel at some point.

**Author's Note:**

> I suddenly had the idea to write this fic and I poured a lot of time into it. This fic is finished by the way, and I will be posting one chapter every day until they're all posted. From all the fics I wrote, this is one of my personal favorites. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated. :)


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